at the Elementary school. We used to pick up kids inside in the cafeteria, which was essentially it's own building but they built 2 hallways to connect it to the new elementary building. Now we pick up outside on the lawn-which is bordered on 2 sides by a parking lot and 1 side by a busy road. This lawn is not that big, about the size of a tball field. And we all learned about this 6 days ago.
I suspect one of the main reasons behind this is parents would pick up their kids in the cafeteria, start heading outside, then stop to talk to their parent friends and their kids would go ahead, unsupervised outside of the building. Or parents with multiple kids in multiple grades would let the older ones go outside on the lawn and play unsupervised while the parents waited for the younger ones.
Last year the school made a rule of no high schoolers or middle schoolers in the elementary cafeteria unless they were picking up a sibling. That lasted about 3 months then the high schoolers and middle schoolers trickled back in and the school didn't enforce the policy. They cut through the cafeteria instead of going around the school because it's faster.
I really don't see how picking up outside is going to stop this. Parents are still going to not be aware of what their kids are doing and chit chat with their friends while their kids run wild. I feel like it's a half *ss effort by the school to get parents to be responsible for their kid(s). Unless it has to do with liability but the kids are still on school property so I'm not sure how that works.
I can easily see a kid running into the parking lot and getting hit by a car. I could see it happening before but now it just seems more likely
I'm kinda ticked to because I used to take kids with me up to school for school pick up. I'd make sure they walked, were quiet, and sat at the tables while waiting for the school agers to come into the cafeteria. Granted some other parents didn't but how is that going to change if we're outside? Now I don't feel comfortable taking kids with me up there with nowhere to sit and being outside in the elements-which right now it's not an issue but in the winter there's no way. So I've had to figure out what to do schedule wise for my 2 assistants since I'll most likely be leaving the kids at home. 1 assistant can have 6 kids by herself, the other has another job they have to be at by 3pm each day.
Basically the school doesn't enforce anything long term and then wonders why it's chaotic at pick up time. So they throw out a new procedure and expect it to magically work. It's like discipline, it has to be CONSISTENT and ENFORCED in order to work. Apparently they missed that part of working with children. Though it's the administration who put this out, not the school itself, so there is that.
I suspect one of the main reasons behind this is parents would pick up their kids in the cafeteria, start heading outside, then stop to talk to their parent friends and their kids would go ahead, unsupervised outside of the building. Or parents with multiple kids in multiple grades would let the older ones go outside on the lawn and play unsupervised while the parents waited for the younger ones.
Last year the school made a rule of no high schoolers or middle schoolers in the elementary cafeteria unless they were picking up a sibling. That lasted about 3 months then the high schoolers and middle schoolers trickled back in and the school didn't enforce the policy. They cut through the cafeteria instead of going around the school because it's faster.
I really don't see how picking up outside is going to stop this. Parents are still going to not be aware of what their kids are doing and chit chat with their friends while their kids run wild. I feel like it's a half *ss effort by the school to get parents to be responsible for their kid(s). Unless it has to do with liability but the kids are still on school property so I'm not sure how that works.
I can easily see a kid running into the parking lot and getting hit by a car. I could see it happening before but now it just seems more likely
I'm kinda ticked to because I used to take kids with me up to school for school pick up. I'd make sure they walked, were quiet, and sat at the tables while waiting for the school agers to come into the cafeteria. Granted some other parents didn't but how is that going to change if we're outside? Now I don't feel comfortable taking kids with me up there with nowhere to sit and being outside in the elements-which right now it's not an issue but in the winter there's no way. So I've had to figure out what to do schedule wise for my 2 assistants since I'll most likely be leaving the kids at home. 1 assistant can have 6 kids by herself, the other has another job they have to be at by 3pm each day.
Basically the school doesn't enforce anything long term and then wonders why it's chaotic at pick up time. So they throw out a new procedure and expect it to magically work. It's like discipline, it has to be CONSISTENT and ENFORCED in order to work. Apparently they missed that part of working with children. Though it's the administration who put this out, not the school itself, so there is that.
Comment